Mon 2 Mar, 2009
“If God were not just, there would be no demand for His son to suffer and die. And if God were not loving, there would be no willingness for his Son to suffer and die. But God is both just and loving. Therefore, his love is willing to meet the demands of his justice. God’s law demanded, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). But we have all loved other things more. This is what sin is—dishonoring God by preferring other things over him, and acting on those preferences. Therefore, the Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We glorify what we enjoy most. And it isn’t God.”
Reflecting on this reason, I can easily find myself in this definition of sin. I certainly don’t love God in this way. I love so many more “things” than I love God. I am thankful to God that he has shown me this fact, clearly explained to me the implications of my actions BUT also provided me a remedy. Justice demands a payment, and God sent His Son to make the payment for me. I am encouraged not only in the fact that Jesus came to die to absorb the wrath of God on my behalf but that He has changed me in a way that I can begin to love God in this way.
Question. All other sins, possible sins or other failings aside; can you answer “yes” to God’s command for perfect love of Him? If Jesus death is sufficient to remedy a direct and personal insult to God, how much more sufficient is it to remedy all our other sinful failings.
Quote from “The 50 Reasons Jesus Came to Die”.
Picture – The cross at Mount Erebus, Antarctica, commemorating the 1979 Air New Zealand Crash near Mount Erebus.
